Housing, healthcare are top concerns: Our Singapore Conversation

SINGAPORE – Policy changes, including tweaks to the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), can be expected following the conclusion of the Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) project, as a survey - conducted as part of the national initiative - showed that public housing is the top concern for Singaporeans earning less than S$5,000 a month while the country's healthcare infrastructure is what worries the higher income groups most. The door-to-door survey of 4,000 Singaporeans was conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) between November last year and February. It was carried out to validate the issues brought up in the 660 OSC sessions held over the past year. The survey is statistically representative of the local population, including in terms of age, race and gender. Overall, public housing, public healthcare, job security, having a caring government and a safe and secure environment are uppermost on the minds of Singaporeans across all income levels. The survey also shed light on what Singaporeans desire when it comes to the pace of life. More than half of the respondents - especially those married with children - preferred a more comfortable pace of life over career advancement. In comparison, less than a quarter of the respondents indicated that they would compromise the pace of life for greater career advancement. The survey also found diverse views on how much responsibility is on the Government to provide for Singaporeans. While almost half of the respondents felt the Government should take more responsibility, about a third thought that the responsibility should fall on citizens themselves. These findings were revealed in the OSC committee's report, Reflections, which was released today (Aug 10). More findings will be shared by the IPS after the National Day Rally on August 18, during which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is expected to give the Government’s “substantive response” to the OSC committee's report, especially in the areas of healthcare, education and housing, said OSC committee Chairman and Education Minister Heng Swee Keat at a media briefing last Tuesday. Mr Heng added that tweaks to the PSLE will be among the policy changes expected. ASSURANCE, PEACE OF MIND NEEDED On the findings of the IPS survey, Members of Parliament (MPs) on the OSC committee whom TODAY spoke to described the respondents' concerns as revolving around bread and butter issues. Both Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin and Ms Sim Ann, Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Communications and Information and Education) noted the need to provide Singaporeans with "assurance and peace of mind”. Mr Tan said: “People at every (income) level see life expectancy increasing and that healthcare needs will grow … Even those at higher levels of income do look at access to public healthcare." Moulmein-Kallang GRC MP Denise Phua pointed out that while lower income groups are helped to a large extent by a slew of Government measures, including healthcare subsidies, those earning higher wages do not enjoy the same level of support. She said: “With rising expectations of healthcare and increasing costs, it is not a surprise that the higher-income citizens are getting anxious about public healthcare." Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob said that unlike buying a property for instance, even the rich are unable to pre-determine how much to set aside for medical bills. “If someone suffers from an illness like cancer, it requires intensive treatment that can be required over a certain period of time... It’s not like housing where you can decide what you want to spend,” she said. Ms Sim added: “People are concerned about encountering healthcare expenses that they can’t cope with on their own." FIVE THEMES IDENTIFIED Mr Heng said that the IPS survey findings had “a lot of common points” with the views gathered from the OSC sessions conducted between Oct 2 last year and July 15, involving 47,000 Singaporeans. Mr Heng noted that overall, the participants at the OSC sessions wanted the assurance that housing, healthcare and public transport will remain affordable. The need for such assurance is one of the five core themes distilled from the OSC sessions. The four others are: Opportunities, purpose, spirit and trust. Singaporeans want opportunities to make a good living and pursue their aspirations amid global uncertainties. They desire a purposeful life and a community that celebrates achievements beyond the economic progress. They also want a strong “kampong spirit” to strengthen the sense of togetherness and build a compassionate society. There is also a need to deepen trust among Singaporeans, and between the Government and citizens, the sessions found. 'CONVERSATIONS MUST CONTINUE' These five core aspirations will shape the direction of public policy, said Mr Heng. Concerns raised during the OSC have already contributed to the Ministry of Education’s attention on pre-school education and the extension of MediShield coverage to congenital and neo-natal conditions, he noted. Mr Heng said that inputs from the OSC sessions were fed to the relevant ministries as and when they were gathered and the ministries then considered the views put forth for either implementation or review of certain areas – such as the Health Ministry’s ongoing review of the healthcare financing landscape. When asked if the OSC process marks the start of a more populist Government, Mr Heng stressed that policy making is not “just a direct response to the OSC process, but the way in which the aspirations help in enriching and shaping the policy thinking along the way”. He said: “The way the policy process starts is not that we have a particular direction … but, rather, you start off with exploring options and then looking at the various options, you take in the various inputs and you do a very detailed analysis... Then, you select what will be the most optimal for your circumstances." While the work of the OSC committee has ended, the conversations should not end here, Mr Heng reiterated. He said: “The spirit of speaking up constructively and hearing each other out sincerely must continue. As Singapore becomes more diverse, it is important that as a society, we build the ability to talk to, listen to and understand one another.” The OSC committee's report can be read at www.oursgconversation.sg/reflections. Sixty thousand copies will be distributed to schools, the People’s Association, the National Trades Union Congress, libraries and other public places, including MRT stations. The executive summary of the OSC Reflections is available in all 4 languages in the publication. There will be summarised versions of the Reflections published in the vernacular papers on Aug 18.